Entertainment

Sid Meier Interview: Bringing Civ World to Facebook

The legendary Civilization game franchise of has officially gone social with last Wednesday's launch of the open beta for Civ World. The Facebook offering aims to bring complex strategy to a space currently dominated by more casual games such as FarmVille.

Will longtime Civ fans be satisfied by a social version of the game? Will Facebook's casual gaming scene embrace a title with such a steep learning curve?

We had the opportunity to speak with preeminent game developer Sid Meier, the man behind one of the most revered strategy franchises, to find out a bit more about his company's plans for Civ World.

Q&A With Civilization Game Developer Sid Meier

The Civilization franchise is loved by gamers who like to go deep, and Facebook games are not always known for this. How will Civ World hook the existing fanbase?

Our goal is to bring the core Civilization experience to Facebook, so that Civ fans will feel right at home with the game. We feel that the Civilization experience can be delivered in fun and meaningful ways on many different platforms. Civilization on the PC and consoles is different than the one we’re bringing to social networking, but players will recognize many of the elements that have been in Civilization games before. We want to deliver the same addictive gameplay that Civ players love, in a way that will engage folks who enjoy playing games on the social network platform, and we look forward to adding to the experience as the game continues to evolve on Facebook.

Is there a trade-off between game depth and social features? And if so, will it be enough to appease hardcore Civ fans?

No, there isn’t a trade-off between these two features. Civ World is a very deep and robust gameplay experience with social strategy at its core. With the direct collaborative and competitive gameplay, achievements, and a systemic marketplace for trade, the game offers a new level of depth to Facebook games. Civ World is a game where players join with their friends to build the world’s most powerful empire. Our in-game chat feature makes it easy for players to work with other members of their civilization to quickly build their empire or decide which civilizations to invade. Civ World consists of some basic concepts that are easy to learn, and the complexity arises from working in collaboration with others towards a common goal. You’ll need to think strategically if you want to win a game! Plus your opponents are also all people — which makes them tough opponents who can surprise you with new tactics all the time!

It seems Facebook friends can play cooperatively (as members of the same civilization) and competitively (as members of competing civs). Can you elaborate on how these dynamics will work?

Players in the same civ can work together to strategize on the different aspects of the game like culture, science, production, and battles. For example, Wonders can only be built by a civ [containing multiple players] since one person is only allowed to contribute a single Great Person. There is even competition within a civ to become the king or queen. Between the different civs, you are competing to become the strongest civ in the game. Civs compete against each other in battles, in researching a certain technology first, in building the most wonders, and acquiring other resources that add to the strength of their Civ. Citizens in a civ can also share resources with each other which can give a huge boost to their civ.

How critical is collaboration in Civ World? Are players who go it alone doomed to fail?

Collaboration is really the key to winning in Civ World. Only civilizations can win eras and start a battle. When in a civ, you can reap the benefits of having a larger pool of items to share. However, you can still have fun building your city, acquiring resources and some achievements, and visiting other player’s cities all on your own. You just won’t win a game that way.

What are “fame points?” How do they relate to victory?

Fame points represent the score in Civ World. A wide variety of actions and accomplishments can produce fame points such as winning a medal, being a member of a civ at the time that the civ wins an Era victory, winning certain auctions in the market, and winning contests. Each player has a fame score for every individual game, as well as a total or "lifetime" fame score aggregating all the fame points they have earned from all the games they have played.

Are all Civ World games happening in the same “universe” like an MMO, or are individual games isolated?

Like an MMO, the game is persistent and continues even if you are not playing; however, the game does have a beginning and an end. There also is a limit to how many people can be in a certain game; however, there are multiple games going on at the same time.

What if none of my Facebook friends play Civ World? Will the game match me up with strangers of similar skill levels?

If you do have friends in a game, Civ World will match you up to that game, but if you don’t have any friends playing, it will put you in a game at random. Through our in-game chat it’s easy to meet players, and the most experienced players will help guide new players with helpful hints.

How persistent are the games? What happens if I don’t log into Civ World for a week during a match?

The game is persistent and continues even when you are not playing. We’ve worked hard to balance the time you spend playing the game with what you can do in the game, because we want everyone to be able to contribute and have a chance for victory each time they jump in to play. Even if your time is limited, you can still contribute to the success of your nation by working with your friends to coordinate a victory.

Civ World is there when you want to play. So, you can rule the world on your own time. If you don’t log on for a week or so, the game will continue on. However, there is an end to the game, and the length of each game varies depending on how it’s being played, so you’ll want to check back as often as possible so you don’t miss out on the fun. New games are also starting up all the time, so you can also jump into a fresh game and not worry about being behind.

What’s the business model for Civ World?

Civ World is free to play, but players can choose to use Civ Bucks, which is our premium game currency. Civ Bucks can be used to get gems to enhance your throne room and city, for extra harvests, more moves in the various mini-games or additional gold to purchase buildings or market items. However, to keep the game balanced, there will be a cap on how many Civ Bucks can be used each day on items or actions that impact gameplay. We want the game to be balanced and interactive in a way that accommodates different play styles and strategies.

Any plans for a mobile app that will let players check in on their Civs from a smartphone?

There are lots of great ideas out there and we’re looking forward to exploring all of them. We’ll keep you posted.

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